Carpet sweeper



- ml, V'0: v U 'U L l HZ-w t5 Sept. 30, 1941. w. E. slEBERT ET AL 2,257,350 l CARPET SWEEPER Filed May 31, 1940 A TTU/VERS Patented Sept. 30, 1941 2,257,350 Y CARPET SWEEPER Werner E. Siebert and Dick Ike, Grand Rapids,

Mich., assigner to Bissel pany, Grand Rapids, M

l Carpet Sweeper Comich.

Application May 31, 1940, Serial No. 338,160

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in carpet sweepers.

This invention relates to carpet sweepers and particularly to the means for yieldingly holding the handle of the sweeper in vertical position when the sweeper is not in use.

Heretofore it has been common to make use of a spring plate having projecting nibs engageable with the handle of the sweeper as it is moved to or from vertical position or to make use of a nib plate with nibs engageable by the handle of the sweeper in which the handle of the sweeper is resiliently held in vertical position because of the resilience of the bail. The metal commonly employed in making the handle of the sweeper and the nibs is relatively soft so that when the initial coat of oil on the parts wears off, they Wear and in a short time the nibs may become ineffective, either because of wear on the bail or on the nibs.

The objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a new and improved nib construction for carpet sweeper handles.

Second, to provide such a construction which may be made inexpensively and which reduces friction and holds the sweeper handle vertical, eliminating the aforesaid disadvantages of the heretofore used carpet sweeper construction.

Further objects and advantages pertaining to details and economies of construction and operation will appear from the description to follow. The invention is dened in the claims. Preferred embodiments of our invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an end view of a carpet sweeper embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side View of the nib construction.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the nib construction taken from the left end of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the parts separated and showing their relationship to one another.

Fig. 6 is a lView partly in section showing the parts separated and their relationship to one another.

Fig. 7 is a view of a modification of the nib plate.

Fig. 8 is a View of a still further modified form of nib plate. l Y

The carpet sweeper I is oi the usual construction having a case 2, wheels 3, a brush 4 and a handle 5 which is pivoted to the case at 6. The

handle is provided with a pivot 1 which ts through an aperture 8 in the nib plate 9. In the side of the handle is a recess III into which is press fitted a hardened steel ball II of the type which is easily available for use as ball bearings. The diameter of the ball is such that it may be press fitted into recess I0 which is of such depth that a portion I2 of the ball projects outwardly from the side of the handle 5.

The nib plate 9 is made of spring sheet steel and is cut at I3 so that its base may be fastened through holes I4 with screws I5 to the casing 2. The upper portion I6 is bent outwardly away from the casing and likewise adjacent the handle 5 so that it will be engaged by the projecting portion I2 of the ball I I. Centrally of the upper portion I6 of the plate is a hole I8 which lies in the path of the movement of the ball as the handle is pivoted. The ball engages in this hole I8 when the handle is in vertical position, as is best shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

It will be apparent that when this form of the invention is employed, the hard steel ball is not subject to wear which would appear on the softer metal of the handle 5. The spring plate engages the ball with substantially no friction and the result is a long wearing nib construction which may be easily and simply made, since the only real addition to the cost consists in forming the recess I0 and press fitting the ball therein.

In Fig. 7, we have shown a slightly modified form of nib plate |09 corresponding to the plate 9. Instead of the hole I 8, we merely provide a recess I I8 which receives the projecting portion I2 of the ball.

In Fig. 8, we have shown a still further form of nib plate 269 corresponding to the plate 9. Instead of forming the recess, we merely form the portion 2I6 of the nib plate with a pair of bends 2I9 which form between them a recess 2I8 to receive the projecting portion I2 of the ball.

The terms and expressions which have been herein employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof. It is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: y

l. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a pivoted handle having a recess in the .side thereof, a hardened steel ball press-fitted in said recess and projecting therefrom, a plate adjacent the side'of said handle and Vengageable by the projecting portion of said ball during pivoting of the handle and having a plurality of nib means thereon in the path of movement of said ball during pivoting of said handle and adapted to engage and receive between them the projecting portion of said ball When the handle is in vertical position to thus hold the handle.

2. In a carpet sweeper, the combination of a pivoted handle having a recess in the side thereof,

a hardened steel insert press fitted in said recess and projecting therefrom, a plate adjacent said handle and engagea'ole by the projecting portion of said insert during pivoting of the handle and having a plurality of nib means thereon in the path of movement of the projecting portion of said insert `during pivoting of said handle and adapted to engage and receive between them the projecting portion thereof when the handle is in 10 vertical position.

WERNER E. SIEEERT. DICK IKE. Y 

